The county council is looking after more than 230 unaccompanied children who are seeking asylum, a new report has said. 

A new report has revealed 40 per cent of unaccompanied asylum-seeking girls across the country are suspected victims of trafficking.

When children enter the UK, border forces make a quick health check on these children. Once placed in the local authority, the children become “looked after children”.

Each council then has the statutory duty to realise health assessment on these children, and it is their responsibility to provide a care plan suitable for each of them.

New data released at the Hampshire County Council’s Corporate Parenting Board revealed that, as of June 2023, the number of “looked after children” had risen by 108 from the previous year to 1,847.

Between June 22 and June 23, the number of unaccompanied asylum-seeking children (UASC) in Hampshire also rose from 134 to 231, the report said.

In 2022, UASC health assessment figures revealed that 40 per cent of girls were suspected victims of trafficking, 50 per cent presented scars associated with torture or abuse and 20 per cent were sexually assaulted.

Initial health assessments also showed 41 per cent of the children have an infectious disease needing treatment. These included Latent TB, where a person carries the tuberculosis bacteria but the person does not have TB disease; Schistosomiasis. the second most devastating parasitic disease after Malaria disease according to the NHS; gut parasites and Hepatitis B.

The report said most of these children come from countries such as Afghanistan, Sudan, Albania, Vietnam or Iraq, where the sale of girls is a daily economic transaction and forced marriage between girls and older men is common practice.

In May, Hampshire County Council district manager Gina Dickinson said children from Vietnam are more likely to be child trafficked.

It comes as three extra GPs have been recruited to the initial health assessments hub. They will offer a regular slot and 10 other weekly appointments.

As of September 20, figures show 210 appointments were waiting with GP hub, Southern Health, Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (HHFT) and out-of-the-area for completion, and a further 83 have been booked.

Care plans for these children included physical, emotional, and mental health, preventive measures such as vaccination and immunisation screening for defects of vision or hearing, and dental care appropriate to their needs, which must include routine checks.